We have no doubt that this country will rise to greater heights as a result of these policies. He is setting a tradition for economic brilliance and planning that outshines his rivals. His latest statement is undoubtedly a work of art.

Managing small economies such as Barbados is always a difficult task. This problem has been acerbated by the drastic changes in the world economy brought on by globalisation and the World Trade Organisation. As the Prime Minister said, Mr Speaker, managing fundamental change across a wide spectrum of economic, social and cultural spheres is unprecedented for us. The hallmarks of managing a small economy are that the scope for adjustment is small, the range of options is limited and the potential for catastrophic failure is vast.

Barbados has done very well under the wise management of Prime Minister Arthur and his team over the past ten years. The dark days of the period 1986 to 1994 has given way to unprecedented prosperity and hope for our people.

The Prime Minister has been able to report to the nation a measure of successes  unemployment is in single digits, prices rose moderately, our foreign reserves are at historically high levels, the fiscal deficit is back to manageable proportions and there is plenty of investments taking place all across Barbados.

The only cause for concern is the fact that our external balances have worsened over the past year. The fact is that while our imports rise, reflecting greater prosperity, our exports have declined somewhat.

However, we must note that with over $2 billion dollars in foreign reserves, we are still in a very strong position. This is undoubtedly a far cry from what transpired under a Sandiford administration that was advised by Clyde Mascoll.

The mark of sound planning is to anticipate problems even before they arise and put defensive measures in place to deal with them.

The BLP administration will not sit idly by and allow problems to fester, as the DLP did in 1990. We would never use the statement that we knew what we had to do, but were not prepared to commit political suicide. That is not the style of leadership we inherited from Sir Grantley, Tom Adams and Sir Harold.

The creation of Export Barbados Inc. is a huge step which will bear much fruit in the years to come. We strongly believe that Barbados has the potential to do much better in the export sector.

We also believe that we need to have a dedicated organisation whose only function is to market Barbadian goods overseas, in the same way that we market our tourism services.

The National Initiative for Service Excellence, NISE will no doubt focus the nations attention on the need for us, as a people, to focus all of our energy on making our country the best it can be. This BLP Government strongly believes that we have the skill, imagination and resources to fully prosper in this new world environment.

NISE and its programmes will go a long way towards developing a new culture and mentality for our people. We sincerely hope that Opposition Leader Clyde Mascoll will accept the invitation to be a co-champion in this all important venture.

We commend the entire set of proposals to Barbados. There is something for everyone, the three-year-olds will now have access to first rate education, the boys on the block will get another chance and the handicap will continue to find a Government willing to cater to their special needs.

The proposals will bear tremendous dividends to this country.